West Coast’s Marvel Stadium hoodoo will continue into another year, but the plucky young side lost no fans after a spirited 16-point defeat to the Western Bulldogs on Sunday.

For three and a half quarters the Eagles tested a battle-hardened Bulldogs but could not go the distance, losing their 12th consecutive game at the Docklands venue.

It came down to a tense final term, when the home side kicked the final four goals to ensure they claimed a 13.8 (86) to 9.16 (70) victory as they pursue a finals berth.

One of the biggest takeaways out of the game was that while Marcus Bontempelli is still the king of the AFL, Harley Reid is now undoubtedly the heir apparent.

Reid was front and centre for most of the action, leading a convocation of young Eagles who did their best to give veteran Elliot Yeo a reason to celebrate in his 200th game for the club.

While they were never directly opposed, Bontempelli and Reid naturally gravitated to each other, and it quickly became apparent the alpha males were going to decide which team was victorious.

Bontempelli ultimately took the honours with 25 disposals, 12 clearances, seven tackles and two goals, but Reid matched him blow-for-blow, finishing with 27 touches, nine clearances and a goal.

Reid was the beneficiary of ruckman Bailey Williams’ dominance, with the ever-improving big man feasting in the absence of Bulldogs’ counterpart Tim English who was withdrawn on Saturday because of an ongoing back issue.

Williams (35 hitouts) was too good for defender Rory Lobb, while he was all but unstoppable whenever youngster Jordan Croft or midfielder Matt Kennedy were forced to pinch-hit.

No.1 draftee Willem Duursma’s education continued but this time it was back in the midfield, where he found himself tracking Bontempelli — the man he idolises — for much of the contest and impressed with 20 touches, seven tackles and a goal.

The young man’s return to the engine room was pivotal, as he was the perfect wingman for Reid in the battle against Bontempelli and Ed Richards (28 disposals, six clearances and a goal).

Eagles coach Andrew McQualter was also at his tactical best. Pre-season signing Milan Murdock was sent to shutdown Bulldogs half-back Bailey Dale, a job the scrapper relished in.

Dale racked up 29 disposals, but his usual run and carry out of defence which is so dangerous was hampered by Murdock, who did not give him an inch.

Defender Rhett Bazzo overcame illness to find himself on Bulldogs forward Aaron Naughton (five goals), who found himself the focal point in attack because of injury and didn’t disappoint despite the young Eagles’ best efforts.

One of the biggest questions hanging over West Coast headed into the match was could whether they could find a way to rectify their slow starts. And they made a promising opening when Jobe Shanahan kicked the first goal of the match.

However, their composure quickly let them down with Brandon Starcevich turning the ball over in the middle of the ground, kicking it straight to Bontempelli which resulted in a goal to Croft.

It kick-started the Bulldogs who went on a four-goal run as the Eagles’ struggled to stop the Bulldogs at the clearances despite their ruck dominance while Reid was on the bench.

West Coast’s pressure was ever-present and come the second term they were able to accompany it with some slick ball movement.

The Eagles regained the lead courtesy of Shanahan’s second major, and the momentum was firmly on their side.

Not even Naughton’s third goal would discourage the visitors as Murdock kicked truly on the eve of main break to ensure the Eagles led at half-time away from home for the first time this year.

The Eagles were whole-heartedly committed to the cause, and every soldier was as committed to the next.

Starcevich exemplified that by his attack on the ball and at one-stage was left bloodied after a marking contest, putting his body on the line despite past concussion problems.

The contest turned into a spectacle of repeated highlights because of both teams trying to gain ascendency.

Duursma put his hand up for goal of the year when he streamed out of a centre clearance before slotting it from just on the 50m arc.

Bontempelli hit back with a long-range goal of his own, with the skipper’s emotional celebration showing just how much the Eagles had them rattled.

His second moments later from a forward pocket throw in was marked with a much more subdued reaction, but the gauntlet was now at the Eagles’ feet.

Unsurprisingly, it was Reid who sent the response to Bontempelli and his Bulldogs, kicking a truly miraculous goal from the right forward pocket to open the last quarter.

All day it had been a game of inches and sometimes decided by fingertips. And the final term was no different.

It looked as if Luke Beveridge’s side had finally broken the Eagles when they kicked consecutive goals to lead by 14 points, but the Eagles – desperate for a fifth win – kept coming.

Misses to Jake Waterman and Jack Williams would prove costly and Naughton would seal the victory with his fifth for the day.

WESTERN BULLDOGS 4.2, 5.7, 9.8, 13.8 (86)

WEST COAST 2.5, 6.8, 8.11, 9.16 (70)

Goals – WESTERN BULLDOGS: A Naughton 5 M Bontempelli 2 J Croft S Davidson A Jones R Lobb E Richards B Williams. WEST COAST: J Shanahan 2 T Cole W Duursma J Graham M Murdock H Reid J Waterman J Williams.

Best – WESTERN BULLDOGS: M Bontempelli E Richards A Naughton T Liberatore B Dale R West. WEST COAST: H Reid T McCarthy B Williams W Duursma M Murdock B Starcevich.

Umpires: N Jankovskis J Pearson N Brown T Bryce. Crowd: TBC at Marvel Stadium.